AIRPORT PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER

DESCRIPTION

THE COMMUNITY
Ideally located on the Pacific Ocean south of Los Angeles and just west of Orange County, Long Beach is the seventh-largest city in the State of California. Offering all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city, coupled with its strong sense of community and pride, Long Beach is one of the most vibrant communities in the country. The City has been referred to as the “Most Diverse City” in the country by USA Today and one of the “Best Communities for Young People” two years in a row. With its ideal location in Southern California, year-round comfortable climate, healthy business environment, and far-ranging cultural pursuits, the City is alive with activity. Long Beach is home to an abundance of cultural and recreational options. Expansive beaches, three marinas, five golf courses, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary, and the annual Grand Prix of Long Beach serve to draw 6.5 million visitors a year. The City’s full-service commercial airport has preferred flight schedules, carriers, and overall accessibility that makes it the travel-friendly alternative to other Southern California airports. In addition, Los Angeles’ rail transit system, the most used light rail system in the country, connects the city to the entire region. Long Beach continues to make significant investments in its parks, beaches, streets, and other amenities (including a new city hall) indicative of the financial stability and health of the City.

CITY GOVERNMENT

Long Beach, a charter city formed in 1897, is governed by nine City Council Members elected by district and a city-wide elected Mayor. Other elected officials include the City Attorney, City Auditor, and City Prosecutor. The elected officials are elected to staggered four-year terms. The City Council appoints the City Manager and City Clerk. The City Manager is responsible for the efficient administration of all City departments, excluding those under the direction of a separately elected official, Board or Commission. Long Beach is one of only three cities in California with its own Health Department and one of the very few municipalities with its own Utilities Department (Water and Gas) and Energy Resources Departments.

The City is supported by a FY 2024 total budget of approximately $3.3 billion with a General Fund budget of $719 million. More than 6,000 full and part-time employees support municipal operations with the vast majority being represented by twelve employee associations. To learn more about the City of Long Beach, go to: www.longbeach.gov .

THE DEPARTMENT
Long Beach Airport (LGB) is classified as a small hub airport in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems and serves approximately four million passengers annually. Owned and operated by the City of Long Beach, LGB was established in 1923 and is one of the oldest municipal airports in the United States. Known as the Coolest Airport in America, LGB is a friendly alternative to other Southern California airports, offering preferred flight schedules, great airlines and destinations and overall accessibility.

The Airport is committed to delivering an Outstanding Customer Experience in an intelligent, ecofriendly, safe, and efficient manner while being respectful of our employees and the community that we serve. We also strive to be a major driver in the economic vitality of Long Beach. Through Organizational Excellence, we seek to recruit, develop, and retain talented staff in an organization structured for success.

Long Beach Airport has a rich history of contributions to our nation’s leadership in aviation. Earl Daugherty opened one of the nation’s first flight schools in Long Beach in 1919. Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart flew from Long Beach. Once home to McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), many commercial aircraft including the DC-8, DC-9/MD-80, DC-10/MD-11, and C-17 were manufactured in Long Beach. Approximately 180 businesses reside on Airport property and are responsible for roughly 18,000 jobs. Some of these include AAA, Aero Business Center, Atlantic Aviation, Long Beach Marriott Hotel, DeVry Institute of Technology, DHL, Epson America, SCAN Health Plan, Signature @ Aeroplex, Skylinks Golf Course, and United Parcel Service.

Beginning in the early 2000’s, the Airport embarked on the development of modern facilities, which included Parking Structure “B” in 2011, and the Passenger Concourse in 2012. In 2022, the Airport unveiled its new Ticketing Facility Lobby featuring common-use facilities for all its airlines. A new Baggage Claim Facility with two carousels was opened in 2023. In 2025, the final facility improvement was the renovation and first-floor restoration of the Airport’s Historic Terminal, originally opened in 1941. The Airport has been awarded Grant funds for the modernization and refurbishment of the Passenger Concourse in anticipation of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Airport Department is governed by the City Council; the Airport Director is appointed by the City Manager and is responsible for overall airport activities. The Director is supported by a Deputy Director, Manager of Airport Operations and Facilities and Manager of Finance and Administration. The Public Affairs Officer reports to the Deputy Director.. The Airport Department employs approximately 125 staff and has an annual operating budget of approximately $28 million.

THE POSITION

Under the direction of the Airport Deputy Director, the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) is an at-will employee who manages the Public Affairs, Government Affairs, and Community Affairs engagement and programmatic efforts for the Long Beach Airport (LGB). The Airport PAO coordinates and facilitates communication between LGB, the public, business customers, tenants, and federal, state and local agencies. The key mission of the PAO is to establish and maintain effective two-way communications with the traveling public, news media, the travel and tourism industry and other stakeholder audiences regarding the policies, procedures, services, operations, developments and future plans of LGB. Additionally, the PAO, through the Airport Director, keeps Councilmembers, the Mayor, the City Manager and senior management updated about LGB issues and concerns.

The purpose of the PAO is to influence public policy affecting LGB, build strong, positive relationships with customers, surrounding communities and federal, local and state agencies, and demonstrate how LGB provides a positive economic impact on the community through educational programs, events and the dissemination of timely, accurate information.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Functions performed by the PAO, through subordinates or in concert with others, in most cases are self-initiated, working within broad policy guidelines set by the Airport Director and City Manager. The PAO is responsible for, among others;

• All media communications;
• Web content management;
• Creation and design of compelling and informative documents;
• Event planning;
• Coordination of ambassador and tour guide volunteer programs;
• Development of recommendations on City and/or Airport position regarding regulatory and legislative proposals;
• Execution of an environmental communications program to demonstrate LGB’s commitment to sustainability;
• Responsible for making day-to-day decisions affecting LGB’s Public Affairs, Governmental Affairs and Community Relations needs;
• Other duties as required.

REQUIREMENTS TO FILE

EXPERIENCE:

• Five (5) years of recent progressively responsible experience i ncluding two (2) or more years of recent supervisory experience , working in public relations, governmental affairs and/or public administration.
  

EDUCATION:

• Bachelors' degree in Public Relations, Governmental Affairs, Public Administration or closely related field is required.
  
  • A combination of education/experience can be substituted for the required education on a year for year basis.

DESIRBALE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Airport experience is highly desirable.
• A master's degree is desirable.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL POSSESS THE FOLLOWING:

• Strong technical skill
• Strong administrative and interpersonal skills
• Strong writing skills (press releases; emergency communications; news articles; policy development, etc.)
• Ethical, with a high level of integrity
• Strong political acumen
• Embraces ideas and contributions from others
• Self-motivated - does not require extensive direction or guidance
• Dedicated to quality service
• Attentive to detail
• Exercises good judgement
• Displays enthusiasm and optimism regarding work
• Strong leader, capable of motivating and energizing staff
• Strong understanding of LGB's customer service goals and environmental initiatives
• Comfortable speaking at public events

SELECTION PROCEDURE

This recruitment will close at 11:59 P.M. (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. T o be considered, applicants must submit a resume, cover letter, and proof of education in PDF format. Applications will be reviewed for depth and breadth of experience, and for level and relatedness of education. The most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in further selection procedures. The selected candidate must be able to pass a Transportation Security Administration background check and maintain an Airport Identification Display Area (SIDA) badge and may be required to go through a background check and a physical examination prior to appointment. Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements, including submission of all required attachments, will not be considered. For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact (562) 570-7126.

The City of Long Beach is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value and encourage diversity in our workforce. The City of Long Beach is committed to creating a workplace where every employee is valued for who they are. Having our workforce reflect the diversity of our community at various levels of the organization is a continuous goal embraced by our departments, management staff, and policymakers. To support efforts of fairness and diversity, City Leadership is committed to incorporating equity and inclusion into our work by supporting staff and community partners. We are committed to promoting transparency by publishing updated demographic information for employees, including workforce diversity data and pay by race and gender.The City of Long Beach will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You are not required to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until you receive a conditional job offer. If the City of Long Beach has concerns about a conviction that is directly related to the job after making a conditional job offer and conducting a background check, you will have the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide evidence to mitigate concerns, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act .

The City of Long Beach intends to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If a special accommodation is desired, or if you would like to request this information in an alternative format, please call (562) 570-7126 .

For technical support with your governmentjobs.com application, please contact (855) 524-5627.

The City of Long Beach offers its employees opportunities to grow personally and professionally.As a permanent employee, you are eligible to receive fringe benefits that include:

Retirement:California Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) defined benefit retirement plan, which is coordinated with Social Security. The benefit is 2.5% or 2.7% (depending on hire date) @55 for "Classic" members and 2% @62 for new members as defined by PEPRA, subject to the compensation limitations set by PERS. Both the City and the employee contributes toward CalPERS retirement contributions. The city also participates in Social Security.

Health and Dental Insurance:The City offers the choice of HMO and PPO plans. The city pays major portion of the premium for employee and dependents depending on the health/ dental plan selected.

Life Insurance:City-paid term life insurance policy equal to three (3) times annual salary to a maximum of $500,000.

Disability Insurance:City-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance.

Management Physical:Annual City-paid physical examination.

Vacation:Twelve (12) vacation days after the first year of service; 15 days after four years, six months of service; 20 days after 19 years, six months of service.

Executive Leave:Forty (40) hours Executive Leave per year. The City Manager has discretion to grant an additional 40 hours each year.

Sick Leave: One day earned per month; unlimited accumulation; conversion upon retirement to cash credit toward health and/or dental insurance premiums, or to pension credits.

Holidays:Eleven (11) designated holidays per year, plus four personal holidays to be used at the employee's discretion.

Transportation Allowance:Monthly allowance is allocated by classifications below;

• Department Head $650.00
• Deputy Director/Manager/Director (Harbor/Utilities) $550.00
• Division Officer/Superintendent/ Chief of Staff / Administrator / Principal DCA $450.00
• Assistant to Executive / Executive Assistant / Executive Secretary/ Executive Support Staff $300.00

Deferred Compensation Plan:Optional for employee contribution to a supplementary retirement savings program available through Mission Square Retirement formerly ICMA-RC Retirement Corporation).

• Classic CalPERS Members: The City will contribute a maximum of up to two percent (2%) of base salary* for all qualified Classic CalPERS members.
• Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) CalPERS Members: Effective the second full pay period following City Council adoption, the City contribution will increase from two percent (2%) to three percent (3%) of base salary* for all qualified PEPRA CalPERS members.

Flexible Spending Account (FSA):Optional election for employees to reduce taxable income for payment of allowable childcare or medical expenses.

Flexible/Hybrid Work Schedule:Available (subject to City Manager approval).

Paid Parental Leave: The City provides one hundred and sixty (160) hours of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of salary, for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child, regardless of the gender, marital status or sexual orientation of the parent.

Closing Date/Time: 10/14/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of Long Beach

• 5625707057

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